Casino news source: Louisville Courier-Journal - http://www.courier-journal.com
Casino bill may be on brink of failure
Governor: Effort could end today
BY GREGORY A. HALL • GHALL@COURIER-JOURNAL.COM • MARCH 27, 2008
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- After spending weeks on life support, a proposed constitutional amendment to allow casino gambling in Kentucky could be declared dead today.
Gov. Steve Beshear, who made casinos the centerpiece of his 2007 campaign, said yesterday that his effort may be over for this year.
"We're going to be touching base with House leadership (yesterday) afternoon and probably (this) morning in making a final decision of whether we need to do anything further or whether it's time to say, 'Stop,' " Beshear said at a news conference.
The proposed amendment would need 60 votes in the House, but it has been stalled for weeks with a vote count that Beshear has said is in the low 50s.
House Bill 550 would allow up to nine casinos with none guaranteed for racetracks, something Beshear originally proposed. A House committee instead approved the recommendation by its task force on casinos that House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, backed.
The legislative session has six days remaining including today, with the final two days typically reserved for overriding vetoes.
Richards refused to declare the bill dead yesterday, but said he hasn't had much time to spend seeking votes because of budget negotiations with the Senate that are now in a conference committee. "Of course we've been so busy dealing with the budget it's just hard to do both," he said.
Asked if he would have any time to work on getting votes the rest of this week, Richards said, "Well, I hope so."
He said the search for votes is "going a little more slowly than I wish it were because I'm busy in the conference committee and so far as I know I have most of the people in the conference committee for it."
Richards said it's unlikely the bill would be called for a vote today, but said he would give it until tomorrow.
Reporter Gregory A. Hall can be reached at (502) 582-4087. |
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